I've been practising Chinese calligraphy for years, taking a very different approach from other artists - I use mouth to perform with brushes. Although originally it was my dad's idea for me to train myself to be a calligrapher in order to earn a living because of my disability caused by an accident, I gradually switched my career interests from to be a pure artist to becoming an academic while still retaining practising calligraphy as one of my major hobbies in my spare time. The traditional Chinese calligraphy is such an exquisite, elegant, rich, and fine art that one wouldn't be able to fully grasp its essence without a proper understanding of the traditional Chinese philosophy and culture. From the shape of each stroke, the strength of force used in holding brushes, and the structure of each character, to the interconnections between characters, layout of the content, use of seals, and etc....the oriental wisdom and aesthetics are all embodied in this form of art. With Chinese calligraphy very much in the central place, I developed a wide range of interests in the broad areas of arts and humanities. To me, they are all to do with our human nature and our taste of beauty. The final solution to the destination of our human beings, I believe, is religion and philosophy, in stead of science, let alone economics.

I gave brief talks on the evolutionary history of Chinese scripts and the calligraphy art at Beeston Free Church, Nottingham, UK, in 2010 and 2011, as part of the celebrations of the lunar new years for the local and university communities. Below are my slides.

A picturised history of the traditional Chinese calligraphy. [Click Here to view slides]

Selection of calligraphy work I completed in the summer of 2013:

History and Society

A historical footage I like - "China and its people in the early 20th century" (from Youtube).